The 8th and final round of the 2018 JBRL Nitro Series was held at Hot Rod Hobbies in Saugus, California last weekend. In the Sportsman Truggy class it was Jack Rock with the TQ, however it was young Buddy Christian, coming from 4th on the grid, with the win in the 15-minutes A-main event, leaving Jack in 2nd some 2.8 seconds down. Dienna Eichenberger would score a popular 3rd place to round out the podium.
Source: Mugen [mugenracing.com]
Xray have introduced the 2019 variant of their popular XT2D 1/10th scale 2WD stadium truck. To offer a maximum of versatility the kit includes all parts to run the truck in “high grip” front motor or “low grip” rear mid motor specification with the two differing in terms of gearbox, motor plate, camber link mount, rear shock tower, waterfall and battery retainer. New to the 2019 kit are narrower gearboxes for both layouts as is a new ultra-smooth ball differential for improved performance and longer intervals between rebuilds. The new multi-functional rear uprights generate increased traction and stability while the rear arms allow to mount the shock absorbers in the front or the rear of the arm – ensuring greater control over the weight bias for different track conditions. New rear aluminium suspension mounts are included to match with the updated gearboxes and the driveshafts now feature 2.5mm pins for increased durability and smoother operation. The included body allows to run the rear shocks in a front or rear placement without any changes to the body shell and also part of the 2019 specifications are hard front steering blocks, +1.5mm front and +4.5mm offset rear wheel hubs and new larger rear upright ball bearings. Standard with the 2019 kit, that will hit stores very soon, are also greased upright ball-bearings and oiled bearings throughout the transmission and steering.
View a list of the new features and more images here
T-Works have released new optionals for the Team Associated RC8B3.1 as well as other 1/8th buggies. First up us a 4-piece set of 7075-T6 aluminium lower shock mount pins that are made to replace the standard steel parts. The pins are machined from high-quality material and come hard-coated for wear. Using the shafts will reduce unsprung weight and thus improve suspension efficiency.
1up Racing have a new Pro Pit Iron bundle and optional tips available. Starting with a new bundle for the Pro Pit Iron, it includes a zip up case, DC Power cable, Premium R/C Solder, stand and 4mm chisel tip. When connected to a 24V power source, the Pro Pit Iron heats and is ready to use in only ten seconds. An easy-to-read LCD display offers accurate adjustment of the 100-400°C (200-750°F) temperature range and the 1up Boost mode offers a nearly instant temperature increase to 450°C (850°F) at the press of a button, making easy work of thick gauge wires. The Pro Pit Iron automatically cools to 200°C after two minutes of inactivity to prolong the life of the tip, and shuts down completely after ten minutes of inactivity.
Round 4 of the Force Series was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In the Pro Nitro Buggy class it was veteran racer, Billy Easton with the TQ and win as Lee Setser took the runner-up spot in the 25-minute A-main event. Justin Fales, who qualified 5th, would round out the podium with all three ended the race in the same lap.
Made for Monaco RC’s Diff Check unit are two new adapters for Xray 1/12th and 1/10th scale pan car differentials. The 3-D-printed adapters are available separately and they were designed for the use in combination with the DFC-18 1/8th scale adapter as they plug right into the adapter’s hexagonal part, allowing to check the setting of both gear and ball differentials. On another note, the Diff Check unit is now also available in a customised variant, allowing owners to add their name for further personalisation.
The 2018 Snake Pit Racing MidWest Indoor Series would host its first round of racing at the world famous Trackside Raceway and Hobbies of Brookfield, Wisconsin. This round would host a final lap three-way battle in the 13.5 Wheeler class. Alex Vaughn started 3rd on the grid after a rough qualifying rounds but would make the final lap pass for the lead and overall during the 8-minute final, leaving behind Andy Krivitz in 2nd and Thomas Kreuser in 3rd.
Source: Xray [teamxray.com]
Schumacher have announced the forthcoming release of the Top Cat Classic 2WD re-release buggy kit. First introduced back in 1988 the Top Cat was Schumacher’s first 2WD buggy kit and it came hot on the heels of the World Championship winning CAT XLS 4WD buggy, that was introduced two years before in 1986. With a couple of small updates for LiPo fitment and durability, the 2018 Top Cat Classic uses many of the original mouldings, and incorporates all of the innovative features such as laydown front shocks with crashback system. The Top Cat won the 1989 EFRA European Championships with Jamie Booth, and started a long line of successful Schumacher 2WD buggies, which are still winning races today. The kit is set for a release in December.
